Chapter 14

Following the address listed on his work ID, Lin Xinyi arrived at his new workplace—Hachisu Pharmaceuticals.

The company occupied a standalone building in the bustling city center, conveniently located just a twenty-minute walk from his home.

From the outside, the pharmaceutical company looked rather discreet; even the sign was small and inconspicuous, barely noticeable unless one paid close attention.

But Lin Xinyi knew better. Any company that could afford to establish a laboratory in Tokyo's ultra-expensive downtown area was bound to have significant influence.

"Here we go." He felt a tight knot in his stomach.

He was even more nervous than when he had gone on his first crime scene visit as a forensic intern. Back then, despite being a total rookie, he at least had some theoretical knowledge.

Now, it felt like throwing someone who never even attended high school straight into a college entrance exam.

With no other choice, Lin Xinyi forced himself to appear natural, step by step making his way into the company entrance.

The security guards stationed at the front door clearly recognized him.

As soon as he walked in, the two tall and burly guards nodded to him in greeting.

"Looks like I really do hold a high position here."

Feeling the pressure mount, Lin Xinyi continued into the company building.

What he hadn't expected was another layer of security inside the lobby.

And this security was far more intense than the two guards at the entrance.

A dozen towering men stood in formation, all clad in matching black suits—nearly identical to the one he was wearing.

No standard blue security uniforms here. Instead, black suits, black dress pants, black leather shoes… Some even wore sunglasses indoors.

The vibe they gave off was unmistakable—

Professional team, ready for business.

"Why the hell is everyone dressed in all black?"

Lin Xinyi was perplexed.

But before he could get closer, something even more shocking caught his attention—

These men weren't just dressed like gangsters; they were armed.

Each one had a sidearm holstered openly at their waist.

"A pharmaceutical company with a fully equipped armed security force?"

"What the hell are they researching in there, the elixir of immortality?"

As disbelief set in, so did an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"This lab is obviously a high-security facility. Am I, a complete outsider, really supposed to manage this?"

"I'll probably blow my cover in half a day."

Despite his apprehension, Lin Xinyi forced himself to keep walking forward—only to be stopped by the imposing security team.

However, the way they stopped him was… strangely warm and respectful.

"Big Brother! You're finally here!"

Big Brother? That title felt oddly off.

"Boss Gin was just here picking up a new batch of drugs from the lab."

"He didn't see you around and seemed pretty pissed."

The leading black-suited man spoke to him with clear familiarity, casually recounting the events of the morning.

This exchange, while baffling, provided Lin Xinyi with some useful intel—

"Oh, so the boss who called me earlier is named 'Gin'?"

"If written in kanji, would that be 'Jin' or 'Zhen'?"

Still… Big Brother? Boss?

Why did the internal company hierarchy sound so… off?

"I'm just supposed to be a lab security manager. Why are these guys calling me 'Big Brother'?!"

It slowly dawned on Lin Xinyi.

His role as "Security Director"… might not be what he had imagined.

"I already spoke to Boss Gin. Nothing major," Lin Xinyi replied as calmly as possible, trying to keep up appearances.

At the same time, he discreetly studied the black-suited man who had first spoken to him.

This guy also had a work ID hanging on his chest—Yamada Kenrou.

"Hey, uh… Yamada."

Lin Xinyi tested out the name, then raised the large convenience store bag in his hand.

"Can you carry this to my office for me? I need to send a text, hands are full."

The bag contained nothing but random snacks and drinks he had grabbed on his way here.

But more importantly, it served a crucial purpose—he had no idea where his office was.

As a department head, it would be totally normal for him to have someone carry his things.

And if he pretended to be texting, he could just follow Yamada right to his office without raising suspicion.

Sure enough, things unfolded just as he hoped.

The black-suited Yamada eagerly responded, "Of course, Big Brother! I got it!"

With that, he swiftly took the bag from Lin Xinyi's hands.

Even better, he instinctively walked ahead to lead the way—saving Lin Xinyi the embarrassment of wandering around lost.

Lin Xinyi, keeping up the act, followed behind while pretending to be focused on his phone.

Soon, they arrived at a door labeled—

[Security Division]

Inside was a spacious office with seating for over a dozen people. At the moment, three or four of the black-suited security staff were gathered, casually playing cards.

The moment they noticed Lin Xinyi enter, they scrambled to put the cards away and stood up hurriedly.

"Big Brother! Welcome!"

"Mm."

Lin Xinyi gave a vague response, his emotions mixed.

Then, his gaze shifted toward the far end of the office—

A separate, smaller office had been set aside within the space.

On its door, bold letters read:

Security Director, Lin Xinyi.

Lin Xinyi fell silent, took the bag from Yamada, and forced a friendly smile at his subordinate.

Then, without another word, he entered his office and shut the door.

Alone at last.

"…"

"The hell?!"

"Security Chief? Just call it what it really is—Head of Security!"

Lin Xinyi couldn't help but recall all the "Directors" and "Masters" he had encountered at shady barber shops.

Thinking back to the phone call from earlier, he finally voiced his realization aloud—

"So when they said I'd be managing the lab, they really meant I'd be guarding the door?!"

"And that 'Gin' guy—acting all cold and overbearing like some mafia boss—"

"Turns out he's just the head of security at corporate?"

Gin was referred to as "Boss" by the black-suited guards. Just like how they addressed Lin Xinyi as "Big Brother."

It seemed clear that Gin also belonged to the security department—probably sent by the headquarters for oversight.

"This is…"

As everything clicked into place, a wave of relief washed over Lin Xinyi.

"Thank God!"

Seriously—what was so bad about being Head of Security?

This was a 890,000 yen per month security job!

And better yet, it was perfectly within his skillset—after all, aside from forensics, the one thing he excelled at was fighting.

All his previous worries vanished in an instant.

Confidence surged back into him.

"Alright, now… what exactly am I supposed to do?"

Sitting at his desk, Lin Xinyi pondered deeply.

Surely, being the security chief wasn't a completely idle role. There had to be real responsibilities.

So, he waited.

One minute passed.

He leaned on his elbow, zoning out.

Five minutes passed.

He opened the bag and started snacking on chips.

Ten minutes later.

He booted up the office computer—time for Minesweeper.

Thirty minutes.

Chess. Solitaire.

One hour.

Hearts. FreeCell.

Two hours later…

He was reading every single ingredient on the chip packaging.

Finally—at long last—the office door was knocked on.

"Finally! A real task!"

Lin Xinyi straightened up, bracing himself.

"Come in!"

The door opened, revealing Yamada once more.

Lin Xinyi sat up, adopting a serious, professional posture.

"What's the matter?"

Yamada nodded enthusiastically.

"Lunchtime, Big Brother! Come eat with us!"